The Dream Thieves

"I actually think I enjoyed this one more than the first. The concept was really interesting and I enjoyed Ronan being more of the main character. I have Blue Lily, Lily Blue coming in the mail tomorrow and I feel like I need it NOW."

"The only thing I can say is Oof"

"Not Ronan looking like the kid from On My Block 🥲"

"2021: still great"

"Might be my fave book in the series, though The Raven King is a high contender. This book is really gay and was very important to baby me who wasn't out yet "

"<a href="https://laughinglistener.blogspot.com/the-dream-thieves/"><br/>The Laughing Listener</a><br/><b>Format:</b> Audiobook<br/><b>Narrator:</b> Will Patton *Applauds*<br/><b>Length:</b> 12 hours & 46 minutes<br/><br/><b>Story Rating:</b> 5 Stars<br/><b>Performance Rating:</b> 5 Stars<br/><b>Overall Rating:</b> 5 Stars<br/><br/>*Series spoilers ahead my friends*<br/><br/>This was my second foray into the Raven Cycle series and I'll admit, I was a tad apprehensive when I started. Instinctively, without really reading anything about it, I knew things were going to start getting crazy for our Raven Boys and I was not wrong. It's reassuring to know my instincts are still very much in tact. In the first novel, we get a taste of the magic they're dealing with and in this one it's GAME ON. About 60% of the novel feels like you're on a bad high from one of Kavinsky's pills, but somehow it TOTALLY WORKS. Even with all the freaky magical dream **** going on, this book leaves you frothing at the mouth for more.<br/><br/><img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/l1KueQWdcD1jlEUYE/giphy.gif" width="400" height="300" alt="I NEEEEED IT"><br/><br/><b>THE GOOD</b><br/><br/>Okay. Listen. Hold the phone. We need to talk about how awesome Will Patton is. In my review of the first novel <i>The Raven Boys</i>, I touched on his stellar performance, but it needs to be said again. He has the BEST southern accent—the kind that makes you buttery—and it perfectly fits this series like a missing puzzle piece. The different voices Patton uses for each character has such a grand individuality, that it has greatly shaped the way I "see" each one. When that creeper Kavisnky first rolled up, I just about died at Will Patton's old-timey gangster sounding voice. Freaking perfect.<br/><br/>This time around I really enjoyed the subtlety of Blue and Gangsey's building relationship. During the first book I was worried their forbidden romance would turn into the main story line and overshadow everything else. That's not why I liked the first book, and after novels like <i>Shiver</i> and <i>Twilight</i> (sorry guys, I'm jut not a fan), I didn't want to see this series ruined. My worries were all for naught though. Steifvater does an amazing job using small actions or phrases to create an undercurrent of romantic tension that I love. I can't wait to see it play out over the next two books.<br/><br/>And I've saved the best for last. RONAN YOU GUYS. RONAN. He's just the best and I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS.<br/><br/><img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/103fSL2bvfdOjS/giphy.gif" width="400" height="256" alt="THE FEELS"><br/><br/>To me, the "bad boy" characters always feel hollow. They're too much like a stereotype and not comparable to any real person, but Ronan is a take on the classic "bad boy" that completely feels genuine. I hate even mentioning that stereotype because I don't want his character to get pigeon-holed. He's a loving person with a big heart that's been hurt, and he's ****** as hell, and I totally get it. Maybe this is just me personally, or maybe it's just where I'm at in my life right now, but Ronan is one of the most relatable characters I've read in a really long time. I'm so happy he was the central character in this book and I CANNOT WAIT to keep going.<br/><br/>These are people that I feel like I <i>know</i>. It feels like I went to high school with them, or that we're neighbors in the same town and that's the quality really tying me to this series. I'm completely invested in what happens to the raven gang and I'm a little sad I didn't find this series sooner. Despite all the fantastical monsters and magic, Stiefvater has written a unique coming-of-age tale that everyone can identify with.<br/><br/><b>THE UGLY</b><br/><br/>This isn't really a negative comment about the book, but more of a personal observation.<br/><br/>I had a hard time with Adam in this novel. Most of the time I felt bad for him in a wow-that-sucks kind of way, but I had a hard time wrapping my head around his motivations and actions. Obviously Adam was acting different because of his sacrifice to Cabeswater, but it almost felt too out of character to me. It made me sad, because I really loved Adam the way he was and I hated seeing him so out of it. But now that he has a better handle on what's happening to him, I'm hopeful it will get better for the poor guy. *crosses fingers*<br/><br/><b>FINAL WORD</b><br/><br/>This book is better than the first one. There, I said it. More action, more drama, more crazy magic, and MORE RONAN! If you even remotely enjoyed the first novel, do yourself a favor and give this one a go."

"I really, really, REALLY wish I had written a review back when I first read this book last spring, or at least right after I finished it last week. But, I didn't, and now my brain is swimming with thoughts on it and about the third book, [b:Blue Lily, Lily Blue|17378508|Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle, #3)|Maggie Stiefvater|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1398366292s/17378508.jpg|24170141]. <br/><br/>When I first read this book last year, I read it immediately after I finished the audiobook of the first book, [b:The Raven Boys|17675462|The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1)|Maggie Stiefvater|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1415182016s/17675462.jpg|18970934]. I initially rated both books 4 stars. However, after listening to the first one again, and then experiencing the second book as read by the wonderful Will Patton, I decided that I really, really liked these books, and that they were 5 star books. I'm fickle, what can I say.<br/><br/>I noticed things the second time around that I did not notice before. That happens with books. But I think, at least for me, it happened even more than usual because I was hearing the book and not reading it. Does that make sense? If you've never read a book & also listened to it, you might not get it. I don't know that I fully get it, and I'm the one talking about it. <br/><br/>Anyway, I never know how to talk about this series without being spoilery, so I'm gonna use a cut. <br/><br/><spoiler><br/>1. So I don't think I noticed the Ronan/Adam vibes the first time I read this book. I was just getting the Kavinsky/Ronan creepy-weird-wtf-vibes. Then I saw <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/764866058?book_show_action=true">a review</a> that mentioned Ronan/Adam and I was like "Whaaaa?" But going through the first two books again, I was like "Oh. Yeah. I see it now. Where was I before?" But I totally ship them. <br/><br/>2. Speaking of Ronan...This book is <i>his</i>. And I love it. I love him. He's so...I don't know how I would describe him. You know how some people are "all bark and no bite"? Well, Ronan's not like that. He's all bark <i>and</I> bite. He's fiercely loyal to those he loves - his friends, his brother Matthew, his mother - and if you mess with them, you've made a bad choice. He's like a wild, ferocious animal, and you never know exactly what he's going to do. But he's also kind of like a scared puppy. He's hurt. He's traumatized. He is grieving. He doesn't know how to cope with his loss and his feelings and his <i>secrets</I>. I liked the prologue/epilogue about secrets, by the way. Anyway, he's sort of coming to terms with most of those during this book. I really liked his interactions with Kavinsky, even if they also kinda weirded me out. <br/><br/>3. Dream thieves! Yes! I loved this part. Orphan Girl and the Greywarren. Sounds like a show I'd watch. But anyway, I'm still unclear as to what exactly makes Ronan a Greywarren and his father and Kavinsky are just thieves. I hope we eventually get some clarification on that, but honestly, I could survive without it. But it would be nice. It was interesting to see how the power of Cabeswater was drained by their shenanigans. I wasn't sure how they were ever going to be able to stop Kavinsky, but...damn, I was not expecting <i>that</I>. <br/><br/>4. I mentioned this in my review of the first book, but I want to talk about it more now. Stiefvater makes it very clear that when the dreamer dies, the dream things stop. They don't die, they sleep. <br/><blockquote><br/>"Non mortem," he muttered, narrowing his eyes, "somni fratrem."<br/><br/>Blue whispered, "What?"<br/><br/>Adam translated, "Not death, but his brother, sleep."</blockquote><br/>So that explains the cows, the birds, Aurora Lynch, and most everything else living at The Barns, right? Okay. So why did the toaster still work? The phone? The weird red-hot knife? Shouldn't they have ceased to function properly after Niall Lynch died? I got to wondering if this was just oversight on the author's part, or if, perhaps, some of them were actually Ronan's creations? <br/><br/>5. Did I mention before how much I like the changing POV? Because I do. I think it adds a fresh perspective to the book, and helps keep it interesting. We're not only in one character's head (not that there's anything wrong with those kind of books, it's just different). This is especially helpful since we have so many characters in this story. <br/><br/>6. Speaking of characters...I really like Mr. Gray. I like mysterious, and he certainly fits the bill. Is he bad? Is he good? Is he dangerous? Can we trust him? What are his intentions with Blue's mother? All good questions, and everything's, well, a grey area. He's a much more likable (possible) antagonist than that creepy Whelk fellow. <br/><br/>7. Let's talk about Adam for a minute. For much of the first book I wanted to shake him or slap him or just tell him to MAN UP. He needed to get over himself. Well, after making the sacrifice to Cabeswater, and agreeing to be its eyes and hands, I thought it would give him a good shove in the right direction. Sadly, that wasn’t quite the case. It made me kind of angry when he would ignore all the things he would catch out of the corner of his eye. It was like he didn’t know what it was, or why it was happening. Didn’t he remember his bargain? I was really excited when he started to pay attention. I also liked that Persephone was the one to guide him through that. I really liked their dynamic there at the end. <br/><br/>8. What a cliffhanger. Damn. I was pretty frustrated when I read it in April and knew I'd have to wait until the fall to get the next book. I didn't wind up getting around to that book until about 8 months later, so I was waiting that whole time to find out what happened!!! I feel like the first book didn’t end on such a WTF cliffhanger. Yeah, it definitely set up this book, and left you with questions, but they weren’t the kind that made you say “OH MY GOD I NEED THE NEXT BOOK NOW DON’T DO THIS TO ME STIEFVATER!!!!!” <br/></spoiler><br/><br/>So, all in all, loved the book and was so excited that I could jump right into the third book."